United States Once Again Lowers Number of Refugees it Will Accept

For the second year in a row, the United States will slash the number of refugees it will accept. In the next year, up to 30,000 will be allowed in the country, down from the cap of 45,000 this year, a historical low since the program began in 1980. In 2017, the cap was 110,000. The 30,000 cap is the maximum number of refugees the U.S. will admit during fiscal year 2019, the actual number allowed could be lower. For the fiscal year that just ended, the U.S. only admitted 20,918 refugees.

Most applicants to the U.S. refugee program spend at least three years being interviewed, undergoing biometric checks and medical exams, and filling out paperwork. Cases are screened by the Defense Department, FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies. After they are resettled, refugees continue to undergo security checks in the United States for five years or more. The Trump administration added requirements, including longer background checks and more screenings for females and males between 14 and 50 from certain countries, including Iraq.

There are currently more than 280,000 asylum claims being processed in the country, plus an additional 800,000 asylees already inside the country who are awaiting a resolution to their claims. Since the new Trump administration take over, there has been new regulations that drastically limited asylum options, including making domestic violence victims no longer eligible to apply for asylum. With the backlog in immigration courts, the wait to have a hearing can take up to years. To learn more about the asylum program, please click here. To learn more about other forms of humanitarian relief, please click here.